2 For 1 Date Night

The engagement party was in full swing, and I was sitting next to my betrothed Jace drinking a Bud Light. The backyard bash was full of laughter, barbeque, and beer. A lot of Jace’s family had come from out of town and they were asking about how we met and our first date and all the juicy details.

“Well,” Jace said, “we actually met and had our first date at the same time.” Jace grinned and I laughed because I knew that Jace loved to tell this story.

“I was waiting for my blind date from an internet dating site,” I began and then Jace jumped in.

“And I was playing pool and having a beer…”

“Wait,” one of his cousins asked, “you weren’t her blind date?”

“Nope,” Jace’s grin got bigger and as he began to tell the tale, I couldn’t help remembering that night.

3 years earlier.

I was sitting at the bar when I saw a thin man with pale skin glance around the bar. His green eyes locked on me, he was looking at my red sweater and I noticed that he had a blue shirt. This had to be my blind date. As he crossed the bar, I studied him, his profile picture hadn’t been too misleading. He seemed paler and older, but still I recognized him from the photo, that was a minor victory. Online dating was such a crapshoot. That was why I suggested we meet at this bar, if it didn’t work out, I could stay and drink after all. If the date seemed to be going well, I could suggest we find somewhere to eat. I had had too many terrible dinners lately and wasn’t willing to go through another.

The bar I had chosen was a middle of the road kind of place, nothing too fancy but not a dive bar either. I had just moved to this neighborhood and decided it was time to check out the local bar.

The man sidled up to me and asked tentatively, “Riley?”

I smiled at him, “You must be Dennis,” I stood and offered him my hand. We shook and I said, “Why don’t you sit.”

He sat beside me at the bar, and frowned as he looked around, “What made you choose this place?”

“I just thought maybe we could have a few drinks and get to know each other, we could maybe get something to eat after but…”

He interrupted me with an imperious wave of his hand, “Yes, yes,” he said dismissively, “I meant why this place specifically. I bet they don’t even have a decent merlot for Christ’s sake. I had really been looking forward to a nice glass of merlot after my long day at work.” The way he said it, sounded as if I had pissed in his cheerios or something.

“That’s an oddly specific complaint, you could have just said wine and anyway I am sure they have wine here,” I said with an inward sigh, this date was starting to turn into a crap sandwich. If he couldn’t appreciate a beer at the bar without being a snob, this was not going to work.

Oblivious to my internal musings, Denis smugly told me, “Merlot is not specific at all I didn’t give the vintage or the name of a wine or…” he trailed off as a man from one of the tables in the back of the bar came over and stood beside me with a cocky grin. Dennis frowned, “Can I help you?”

“No. You can’t,” he flashed that grin at me and said, “Hey, do you want to ditch this loser and have some drinks with me and my friends?” He gestured with his thumb to his table where there were two other guys watching him.

“Did you lose a bet or something?” I asked with a raised eyebrow, “I mean is that why you came over here?” I glanced at the guys at the table who were watching the seen with interest.

He laughed, he had a great laugh, “I haven’t lost a bet yet, but one of my friends might have bet me that I wouldn’t come over and try to entice you away.”

Dennis stood, “Look dude, get lost, can’t you see she and I are on a date?”

“Doesn’t seem like a very good date, maybe the lady would like to level up,” Jace said.

Dennis sputtered and then, “How dare you,” he grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet, “Let’s get out of here. This place is full of heathens, I will take you to a nice place where we can talk and” he smiled, “we can have merlot.”

I pulled my arm out of his grip, “I’m not really a wine girl,” I said.

He laughed, “That’s because no one has taught you about wine, I promise you will love the wine I pick out for you.” He couldn’t possibly be more condescending.

I glanced at him and then at the cocky stranger and then back to Denis again. “Pass. I think I’ll stay here. You could stay and…”

“I am not staying here,” he snapped like a petulant child. “This place is awful. Suit yourself. I thought you were an intelligent young woman, but I guess you’re just a philistine after all,” he told me in a superior tone, spun around and disappeared outside slamming the door behind him.

“What a pompous peacock,” the man held out his hand, “I’m Jace.”

I couldn’t help but laugh, “I’m Riley, and you just scared off my internet date.”

“Well, I guess that means I’ll have to replace him then.”

Present day.

“And then she told me that I scared her date off and I told her I would replace him, and we laughed and drank and had a great night.”

Everyone at the party was laughing with delight, though most of them had heard the story before.

“Best internet date I’ve ever had,” I said.

“You’re internet date didn’t go so well if I am remembering correctly.”

I laughed, “Yea but I wouldn’t have met you if not for the internet dating,” I told him leaning against him.

“We were meant to be love, we would have found each other and I still maintain, that internet dating is for suckers.”